


the gravitational pull of two stars

by MadelaineHeartEyes



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, the whole spectrum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadelaineHeartEyes/pseuds/MadelaineHeartEyes
Summary: a series of one-shots featuring everyone's favourite non-canon sapphic fbi agents, their team, and their relationship.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	1. microwave mac n cheese

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jj is an exhausted mess in the kitchen and emily gets a shock

JJ woke with a knot of confusion in her chest, disorientated by the darkness of the room – she glanced to the woman beside her, wondering if she had stirred too, but Emily was still sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. JJ’s stomach rumbled suddenly, and she realised it must have been hunger that woke her. They had returned late from a long case, exhausted and late, and had barely managed to shower before getting into bed, let alone have dinner. Sighing, she slipped out from under the covers without turning on the lights, opening the bedroom door slowly (she knew now that it creaked halfway if not opened gently) and padding barefoot to the kitchen.

Eyes still weary, she flicked on the light and opened the fridge – and nearly laughed out loud at the bare shelves. How Emily maintained her figure when she ate like a frat boy, JJ would never understand. In the cupboard however, she found a pot of instant macaroni cheese and brightened, carrying it to the sink to add the water, then putting it in the microwave.

The sound made her cringe in the silence of the apartment, but despite Emily being a light sleeper, she doubted it would wake her. JJ rested her head on her palm, leaning against the countertop, watching the red numbers slowly approach zero.

However, she hadn’t been watching carefully enough. A split second too late, she lurched forwards to open the door – but it was too late to stop the series of practically ear-splitting splits breaking the gentle hum of the cooking, and no matter how exhausted Emily was, there was no sleeping through that.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard a sudden stirring from the bedroom (the door of which she had failed to close behind her), followed by a confused call of her name.

“Jen?”

Something about Emily’s tone was off, so JJ abandoned the steaming pasta on the counter and rushed back.

“Em, I’m sorry – “

But as JJ entered the room she realised that the other woman didn’t look annoyed; instead, she was flat on her back, face gripped with such panic it made JJ’s heart lurch.

“ _Jayje?_ ”

Her voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper this time, but it sounded pitiful, and JJ had never had a reason to associate Emily Prentiss with the word _pitiful_ before. She hurried over the bed, climbing on and taking Emily’s hand.

“Em, it’s okay, it’s me.”

A single tear escaped, and JJ reached to wipe it away, stroking her thumb across the other woman’s cheekbone. Her breaths were shuddering, irregular, and JJ slowly drew Emily to her chest, hushing and stroking her hair.

“I’m sorry Em, it was just the microwave.”

At this Emily let out a shaky breath and drew back, swiping a hand over her face.

“Shit – I’m sorry Jayje, I just… it sounded – it sounded like the heart monitor in the hospital, and it was dark, and you weren’t here and I just – “

JJ felt her eyes filling with tears as more fell down the brunette’s face, but held them back, keeping a tight grip on Emily’s hand and shifting forwards to press her lips gently onto hers.

“Don’t apologise.”

Emily kissed her back softly, then pulled back to rest their foreheads together.

“What were you making?”

JJ laughed slightly, her stomach rumbling again.

“Mac and cheese.”

Emily pondered for a moment before swinging her legs off the bed, pulling JJ with her.

“I could eat some mac and cheese.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i acknowledge that making mac and cheese in the microwave is disgusting, however as a brit i don't know how common it is for americans to have kettles so we're rolling with it.
> 
> also timeline? context? i don't know her. hospital is the post-doyle hospital, the rest is up to you x


	2. first meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> emily and jj meet properly for the first time

Emily left Hotch’s office flushed with her success, a burning in her chest telling her she _had_ to prove him wrong, _had_ to do this job so perfectly she assuages any doubts. She was so preoccupied she didn’t notice as she swung around a corner, walking right into the pretty blonde that had interrupted her and Hotch four days ago, and promptly dropped her box of things, pens spilling across the laminate floor as the other woman’s files go flying.

“Oh Christ – I’m sorry.”

There was a flash of frustration in the blue eyes, and Emily took a moment to survey her. Her initial judgement was correct – she’s very pretty, although she does remind Emily of every high school queen bee. Frankly, she looks like she could still be one; she’s younger than Emily, somewhere between five and ten years, and there’s an odd mix of resilience and innocence in her eyes that suggests she’s not yet completely haunted by the weight of the job. Suddenly, her expression shifted, the memory stirring, and she smiled. It was dazzling, changing her whole face.

“Oh, hello – you were in Hotch’s office the other day?”

Emily nodded, kneeling down to gather the files to cover up her sudden flustered cheeks. She stacked them quickly, handing them back to the other woman.

“Yes, I’m Agent Emily – Prentiss. I’m joining the BAU, officially on Monday.”

Emily could see a moment of guardedness, before she smiled again, offering her free hand.

“I’m Agent Jennifer Jareau, but everyone calls me JJ. I’m the communications liaison for the team.”

Emily took the hand, careful not to use her well-practiced fierce handshake that she has developed after too many men in suits looked at her like she was unqualified for whatever she was doing. Agent Jareau – JJ – gripped back with unexpected strength, and Emily tried not to let the surprise show on her face.

JJ looked away, eyes flitting to the pens, stapler and planner that were strewn across the floor. There weren’t any photos, and Emily thanked God silently that JJ wasn’t a profiler – as she had walked through the bullpen, every team member had photos of family, personal knick-knacks and memories, none of which she ever took to her workplace. Before Emily could say a word, the other woman has kneeling down, picking up her things.

“Don’t worry about that – it’s fine, really.”

But JJ shook her head, scooping things back into the box.

“It’s no problem – I’m just glad you’re not a plant person.”

Emily laughed at that, accepting the box as JJ handed it to her and stood back up.

“I doubt they’d stay alive for long – unreliable work schedules are hardly conducive to regular watering.”

JJ nodded sympathetically.

“You’ve done this before? You’re well prepped for this team then – I said goodbye to my weekends the moment I took the job.”

Emily slapped herself mentally, forcing her face to remain neutral. She wished she could be honest, knew it would have been far easier to convince Hotch she was qualified if she could actually disclose her job history – instead, she had to lie to a group of trained behaviouralists.

“Oh no, I’ve been on various desk jobs, across the Midwest mainly. I just know the reputation of this unit, that you’re working non-stop.”

“Prepared – I like it.”

The two smiled at each other for a minute, before JJ spoke again, tentativeness colouring her tone for the first time.

“Listen, I know you don’t officially start until Monday, but I’m in tomorrow anyway, do you want me to go over protocol and the like with you? The rest of the team won’t be here, so I can ease you in gently – they’re not all like Hotch,” Emily let out a short burst of laughter, “but they can be a bit intense when you’re not used to it.”

Emily pushed aside the rush of warmth in her chest, tried to tamp down the blush rising up her neck, and nodded.

“If you’re sure you don’t mind, that would be great. I need to sort out a desk anyway.”

“Oh! If you don’t have a desk yet, I’ll keep this in my office if you want? So you don’t have to lug it back to your car.”

JJ really was unlike anyone she had met in the Bureau (or the CIA, or Interpol, when she thought about it) – frankly, Emily didn’t think she’d ever had this kind of casual kindness from a colleague before. It was welcoming, but something warned her away from reading into it.

“If you’re sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”

They smiled at each other again, and JJ tugged the box from Emily’s hands.

“I’ll see you tomorrow – any time is fine.”

Then she was gone, before Emily could even utter a farewell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> badass baby emily getting a little bit flustered around jj is my fave
> 
> (also i'd just like to clarify i absolutely do not think jj is a mean girl or was a mean girl in high school, she's the sweetest, but emily was a total goth and i feel like some of that would have stuck with her, so her first impression of jj's looks may have been less than flattering)


End file.
